Underground mine fire investigated as possible source of Boulder County Marshall Fire
BOULDER COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) -- While officials are still investigating the official cause of the Marshall Fire in Boulder County, the most destructive wildfire in state history, our Denver news partners report the possibility the blaze began from a dormant coal mine.
According to 9News, a 2018 report by the Colorado Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety found an estimated 38 abandoned coal mine fires are burning underground in Colorado. Some of the fires have burned for decades.
One of those underground fires was reported in the area where the Marshall Fire is thought to have originated, just south of the Marshall Mesa Trailhead off of Highway 93 and Marshall Road.
According to 9News, the mine possibly connected to the fire was active between 1863 and 1939. In 2005, a brush fire was sparked by a "hot vent" from the mine.
Following that fire, the report shows state officials brought in 275 tons of gravel to fill in low areas about the mine fire in 2006 and returned in 2016 to excavate, compact, and backfill areas.
The mine is also right across the road from the religious group Twelve Tribes.
The Twelve Tribes property is near HIghway 93 and Marshall Road, where smoke and flames were reportedly seen before the fire spread.
On Jan. 11, the Boulder County Sheriff's Office confirmed the Twelve Tribes property had been searched and the property was released. The search warrant for that property is still sealed.
Read more from our news partners here.
